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Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 3a XL

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone 12GooglePixel 3a XL
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2020May 2019
Display
Screen size6.1″6″
Resolution2532 × 11702160 × 1080
Sharpness457 pixels per inch402 pixels per inch
PanelOLEDOLED
Refresh rate60 Hz–
Peak brightness1,200 nits–
Display typeSuper Retina XDR all-screen OLED display with a notch for the TrueDepth camera; 6.06 inches measured as a standard rectangleFull-screen OLED; 18:9 aspect ratio
Pixel density460 ppi402 ppi
Brightness detail625 nits max (typical); 1,200 nits max (HDR)–
Always-on displayNoAlways-on display; Now Playing
Screen protectionCeramic Shield front; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatingAsahi Dragontrail Glass identified by Notebookcheck
Display featuresHDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)100,000:1 contrast ratio; true black; 24-bit colour; 16 million colours; D67 white point
Performance
ChipA14 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 670
Memory4 GB4 GB
Storage64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB64 GB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores64-bit octa-core CPU; 2.0 GHz + 1.7 GHz; Titan M security module
GPU4-core GPUGoogle's historical hardware sheet lists Adreno 615; Notebookcheck identifies Adreno 616
Storage type–4 GB LPDDR4x RAM; eMMC storage identified by Notebookcheck; no microSD slot
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Cameras
Main camera12 MP12.2 MP
Ultra wide camera12 MPNone
Telephoto cameraNoneNone
Optical zoomNoneNone
Front camera12 MP8 MP
Main camera12MP Main, ƒ/1.6 aperture, optical image stabilisation, seven-element lens, 100% Focus PixelsDual-pixel phase-detection autofocus; f/1.8; 1.4 μm pixels; 76° field of view; optical and electronic image stabilisation
Ultra wide camera12MP Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 120° field of view, five-element lens–
Front camera12MP TrueDepth camera, ƒ/2.2 aperturef/2.0; 1.12 μm pixels; fixed focus; 84° field of view
Zoom2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 5x (photos) and 3x (video)–
Video recordingHDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps; 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; HEVC and H.264Rear 4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 30/60/120 fps; 720p at 30/60/240 fps
Front videoHDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps; 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps1080p, 720p or 480p at 30 fps
Camera featuresNight mode; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 3; Portrait mode with Depth Control; Portrait Lighting with six effects; True Tone flash with slow sync; sapphire crystal lens coverHDR+; Portrait Mode; Super Res Zoom; Night Sight; time lapse
Battery and charging
Battery2,815 mAh3,700 mAh
Wired charging–Up to 18 W
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 17 hours–
Wireless chargingUp to 15 WNone
Battery life detailUp to 11 hours streamed video playback; up to 65 hours audio playback; 2,815 mAh (GSMArena)–
Wired chargingUp to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)Up to 18 W using supplied USB-PD 2.0 adaptor; maker claims up to seven hours of mixed use from 15 minutes of charging; actual results vary
Wireless chargingMagSafe up to 15W; Qi up to 7.5W–
Connectivity
Satellite messagingNo–
Mobile network5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA; UK model A2403UK and European G020B/G020F family supports LTE Cat 11 download up to 600 Mbps and Cat 5 upload up to 75 Mbps; three-carrier aggregation; 2x2 MIMO; no 5G
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)One nano-SIM and eSIM in selected markets, including the UK; operator dependent
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMODual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; 2x2 MIMO
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0 + LE; aptX and aptX HD
Ultra WidebandUltra Wideband chip for spatial awareness–
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with Power ReserveNFC; Google Cast; FeliCa on Japanese models
USBLightning connector; video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter (sold separately)USB-C 2.0; 3.5 mm headphone jack
PositioningGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; iBeacon micro-locationGPS and GLONASS; BeiDou and Galileo outside the US and Puerto Rico
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight162 g167 g
Thickness7.4 mm8.2 mm
Height × width146.7 × 71.5 mm160.1 × 76.1 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68–
MaterialsCeramic Shield front, glass back and aluminium designPolycarbonate unibody
ColoursBlack, White, (PRODUCT)RED, Green, Blue, PurpleJust Black, Clearly White and Purple-ish; availability varies by market
ButtonsRing/Silent switch; side button; volume up/downPower button and volume controls; Active Edge squeeze gesture
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529–
BiometricsFace IDPixel Imprint rear fingerprint sensor
SensorsBarometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensorProximity and ambient light; accelerometer; gyrometer; magnetometer; barometer; Android Sensor Hub; haptics
Speakers–Stereo speakers
MicrophonesStereo recordingTwo microphones with noise suppression
Software
Operating systemiOSAndroid
Software at launchiOS 14Android 9 Pie
Software updates–No longer receives Android version or security updates according to Google's current support policy; original promise was three years
AI featuresApple Intelligence not supportedGoogle Assistant with Active Edge; Call Screen initially available in English in the US and Canada; Google Maps AR walking preview required Street View coverage, a good data connection and good lighting
In the box–18 W USB-C power adaptor and Quick Switch adaptor confirmed in Google's launch announcement

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